SleuthSleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. We give £25 for every story/rumour and piece of absurdity you find for us to publish. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious. We ask for the money back if any legal action follows. Follow Sleuth on twitter @mcrsleuth
The True Value Of Trophies
Sam Jones, Founder and Director of Tunafish Media, based at The Sharp Project, won Manchester’s business development professional of the year at the Made in Manchester Awards recently. He triumphed over high profile companies such as George Davies Solicitors and RBS. Sleuth knows Sam as Smudge and they once worked together at Confidential when Smudge was chief paperclip enumerator. Sleuth asked for a comment about his award. "I worked out that you can take the rather phallic trophy apart and drink tequila out of the cup bit," said Smudge. He's a wise young man that one.
Sam Jones and the unofficial picture: there was a lovely picture of him outside the Sharp Project but Sleuth preferred this one from Twitter with that lovely red eye
The Funny Man On The Tour
Sleuth did a Manchester Tunnel Tour on Sunday and it was very jolly. One of the guests had a big moustache and was very pleased with himself. He kept telling people, "I'm on a new keep fit regime. I'm running up rigging, climbing along masts and jumping off gang planks." People looked mystified. "It's called pi-ra-tes," he'd then say. He pronounced pirates, of course, with the same number of syllables and to rhyme with pilates. Made Sleuth laugh. "It's the first joke I've made up in ages," he told people. Repeatedly. Sleuth left him down the tunnel.
Group about to go down the tunnel with joking man centre carrying frightened woman
New Hotel For City Centre - Opposition Not Happy
Plans look set to be approved for a 223-bed, four star Hotel La Tour on the banks of the River Irwell in Salford. This would sit on the empty site between the Lowry Hotel and Bruntwood's Riverside offices. Thirty-five letters of objection were sent to the council, from the Lowry Hotel amongst others, but mainly from residents or landlords of The Bridge apartments (that weird development with yellow tiles seemingly stolen from the Arndale tower). The objections are about poor design, loss of light and views, noise, parking and traffic.
Bridge apartments to the leftSalford want to proceed though, and possibly for future amenity rather than anything else. They say: "It is considered that the development will contribute significantly to adding necessary vitality to the area and the riverside walkway and public realm in particular." Poor design is an issue though, Salford needs to make sure it does right by the waterfront, and think twice, before just going ahead because they want to 'allow development to proceed in this city centre location'.
Aesthetics, dear councillors and planners, matter, otherwise we might be lumped with another development as ugly as...er...well...The Bridge apartments with its boarded off ground floor units, and people complaining about bad design.
Hotel La Tour will sit in that building site bit to the left of the bridge
Worsley Park's Revamped Bar
Sleuth likes getting out of town occasionally. So he's pleased that Worsley Park Marriott's bar Tempo has had a revamp This cost £250,000 and has given the place 'a contemporary new look along with an extension adding an additional third to the floor space'. Apparently the new bar will be serving 'light dishes from all corners of the world as well as providing a place for families, colleagues and friends to meet in its comfortable and contemporary surroundings'. There's a picture of some 'light' burgers at the top of the page. Sleuth loves 'light food', he loves eating so much of it he can't walk. That's the problem with light food, like cannabis it can lead to the heavy duty stuff so easily.
Tempo club sandwich
Is Your Boss Like This?
Sleuth showed Manchester off to some Malaysian guests from a building company this week. There was a clear hierarchy and the boss was definitely THE BOSS. He had to be the one who led the group off after stops and when he stopped, the group stopped. When the boss took a picture so did the rest of the group - of the exact same view. And when they reached a hotel there was always a bit of a fuss because rooms had to be swapped so that no member of the group was in a higher room in the hotel than the boss. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.
The British Weather Can Be A Problem For Garlands
Sleuth and the whole of Manchester Confidential love Raqib Shaw's garland of plants and flowers around Manchester Art Gallery - click here. But tush, the unpredictable weather.The Gallery responded to our article with, 'Thanks and we are all getting used to the plants but with this unexpected dry Manchester weather the 'watering rota' is really something to behold. If you've got a spare hour we have lots of watering cans'. A call to arms indeed. Anybody want to help?
Plants and art and watering cans
The Best Beef Wellington In Manchester
Sleuth was at the lovely celebration of George Bergier's 45 years of service in the Manchester food and drink industry. Particularly the drink bit. The Polish-born gent has graced the sommelier's art for many years in such institutions as The Midland Hotel, The St James' Club and The Chop Houses. The lunch was held in the splendid private dining room in the Albert Square Chop House. Two elements stood out, the beautiful Coonawarra Riesling 2005, and a stunning Beef Wellington, with perfectly timed flesh and a perfectly executed casing. More stories from the event on next week's Sleuth. But wow, that Beef Wellington.
George Bergier makes a point over a couple of Wellingtons
Sleuth's Mysterious Arch
Every seven days or so Sleuth is stopped in the street by policemen, firemen, concierges, Malaysians, Polish sommerliers, tuna fish and the complete cast of Les Miserables, and asked "Where can we find a really, really mysterious arch in Manchester?"
"Why," says Sleuth, "that would be behind India House on Whitworth Street. It's down in the River Medlock and dates from the 18th century. It used to be bigger and took boats in a tunnel towards the Piccadilly end of town, until the River Medlock silted up with cinders thrown in by the factories which bordered the river."
And to prove the story he showed this picture to policemen, firemen, concierges, Malaysians, Polish sommerliers, tuna fish and the complete cast of Les Miserables.
Arches in the River Medlock
